Do you know who didn't
attend a single day of school and taught himself to read? Andrew Johnson.
He was born on December 29, 1808 in Raleigh, North Carolina. His mother
apprenticed him and his brother to a tailor named James Selby. Johnson and
his family moved to Greenville, Tennessee. Johnson became the town tailor
in Greenville.

He met Eliza McCardle and they married on May 17, 1827. Eliza taught
Johnson how to write, spell and do simple arithmetic. They had five
children. Eliza was ill and she couldn't do her duties as First Lady. Her
eldest daughter helped do the duties as First Lady when her mother was
sick. They had three boys and two girls. One of the boys was thrown off a
horse and killed. Another son was an alcoholic and the other one had
developed a disease called tuberculosis, an infectious disease that
affects the lungs. Whenever he was away, Johnson always sent letters of
advice to them.

Johnson was governor of Tennessee, and an U.S. Senator. He was a
Military Governor; also he was Vice President and of course he was
President. He was a Democrat. When Lincoln was assassinated Andrew Johnson
became President. Johnson tried to continue the reconstruction in the
south. The reconstruction was the rebuilding of the South. He hoped to
give blacks the right to vote. But the Southerners did not want to share
political power with the people that were had been slaves. The people in the
north didn't want to have another war so they just gave up. Johnson gave
up the process.

The first impeachment in U.S. history took place on February 24, 1868.
The House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson. Johnson was almost
impeached because Congress had made a law and he didn't like it so he
didn't follow it. A team of lawyers defended Johnson on the trial. Johnson
did not appear at the trial. The House of Representatives lost the
impeachment by one vote. Andrew Johnson stayed as President for a few more
years before he retired.

When Johnson retired he stayed interested in politics. In 1869 he ran
for U.S. Senator but lost the election by two votes. He did win a U.S. Senate
election in 1875, becoming the first President to serve in the Senate
after leaving the White House. During a visit to Tennessee, Johnson suffered a paralytic stroke and
died a few days later on July 31, 1875. He was buried in
Greenville, Tennessee and was wrapped in an U.S. flag with his well-worn
copy of the Constitution on his head.